Sausage skin removing mechanism



Janl 1957 l D. D. DEMAREST ET AL 2,775,784

SAUSAGE SKIN REMOVING MECHANISM Filed July l0, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet l ay www# A T TORNE YS Jan. l, 1957 D. D. DEMAREsT ET AL 2,775,784

sAUsAGE SKIN REMOVING MECHANISM Filed July lo, 1955 4 sheets-sheet 2 A T TURN D. D. DEMAREST ET AL SAUSAGE'SKIN REMOVING MECHANISM Jan. l, l1957 4 shets-sheet 3 Filed July iO, 1953 Jan- 1, 1957 D. D. DEMAREsT ET AL 2,775,784

SAUSAGE SKIN REMOVING MECHANISM Filed July .L.O, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent O SAUSAGE SKIN REMOVING MECHANISM Daniel Douglas Demarest, Port Washington,- N. Y., and Robert Merritt Perkins, Upper Montclair, William Karius, Union, and Carl Bereudt, Millburn, N. J., assignors to Linker Machines, Inc., Newark, N. J., a corporation of New York Application July 10, 1953, Serial No. 367,298 10 claims. (ci. 11-1) This invention relates to mechanism for severing from one another and peeling the links of a string of sausages, frankfurters or the like, the invention being concerned with improvements upon the machine disclosed in a joint application for Letters Patent of the United States, Serial No. 168,324, tiled June 15, 1950, by Daniel D. Demarest, Robert M. Perkins, William Karius and Carl Berendt for Apparatus and Method for Removing Casings from Sausages and the like, now Patent No. 2,672,646 of March 23, 1954. While the present improvements are not necessarily confined in -their application to the machine of said application, they will be illustratively explained and described by reference to that machine.

In said prior machine a string of frankfurters is a-dvanced by feed rollers at constant speed to and through a device which, for brevity, has become known in the'art as the ripperhead. The ripperhead grips the ligature between the leading link and the second link of the string and, while advancing with the string, severs'the leading link from the string, and starts a tab forming `tear in or near the ligature appendage of the leading end of said second link, which has, by virtue of such severance become the leading link. The ripperhead then releases the clamped ligature and returns relative to the string into position to act upon the next ligature when it arives. The present inventionl is concerned with that portion-of the machine which acts upon the severed frankfurter to peel it.

When a frankfurther has been severed i-t is advanced and rot-ated for peeling by upper and lower, obliquely arranged rotary feed rods, past an obliquely arranged rotary suction drum which seizes the tab to pull it away from the frankfurter, causing the tear to be extended spirally until the skin or wrapper has been completely removed.

In the prior machine the frankfurter was advanced by cylindrical feed rolls or rods between stationary side guide bars which were fixed in place at opposite sides of the frankfurter path. These guide bars had the drawback that the tab sometimes got caught by one of the bars and fouled the machine with consequent mutilation of the frankfurter, or got folded back into a position in which it could not be picked up properly by the peeling suction drum.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide improved, rotary guides for the frankfurter and a novel mounting and driving mechanism for said guides to enable each guide, and the driving mechanism therefor, to be bodily removed as a unit from `the machine so that these parts, themselves, may be cleaned, and may make underlying parts of the machine accessible for cleaning.

lt is a feature of the invention that the rotary guides are polygonal, preferably square, in cross-section. This causes the frankfurter to bear against the guides with uctuating pressure, thus avoiding catching and jamming of the skin of the frankfurter.

It is a further feature that provision is made for adjusting one of thefrankfurter guides to widen or `narrow 2,775,784 Patented Jan. l, 1957 the Aguide path, and this without disturbing the operative connection of the gui-de with its driving mechanism.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear. in the drawing forming part of this specification: Figure l is a plan View, partly broken away, of a portion of the illustrative machine in which the frankfurter -is peeled;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view in front elevation (some parts being omitted for clearness of illustration) of the portion of the machine shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged, exploded view in sectional elevation showing parts of the guide bar assemblies separated from their supports, the view being taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail view in sectional elevation, the section being taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 9, looking in the direction of the arrows, the scale being the same as that of Fig. 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line S-5 of Figure 1, but on a larger scale than Fig. l, looking in the` direction of the arrows, some of the parts being omitted for clearness of illustration and the driving means for the shafts which drive the upper and lower feed rods being shown in broken lines;

Figure 6 is a View in sectional elevation showing some of the parts illustrated in Figure 5 on a larger scale;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective View showing details of the drive of a delivery belt through which the peeled frankfurters are discharged from the machine;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary planview partly broken away, showing part of the driving mechanism for one of the drive bars;

, Figure 9 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 9-9 of Figure 6, but on a larger scale than Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure l0 is a view similar to a portion of Figure 5, showing square rods with rounded corners employed for feed rods and guide rods. j

As shown in Figure l, each frankfurter, as it approaches the position at which it is to be cut loose from the string, and as it moves forward from that position (toward the left in Fig. l), is advanced by a pair of feed rollers 12. The feed rollers deliver each frankfurter onto a series of `lower feed rods 14 and beneath a series of upper feed rods 16. The lower rods 14 are disposed parallel to one another and are inclined'forward and toward one side of the machine, and are so closely spaced that they provide a continuouslyA effective lower confining barrier for the sausage. The upper feed rods 16 are disposed parallel to one another and are inclined forward and toward the opposite side of the machine. The upper and lower rods 14 and 16 jointly act to advance the frankfurters lengthwise and to cause them to be rotated as they are advanced.

Each of the lower rods 14 is driven through a pair of beveled gears 18 and 20 from a horizontal shaft 22, and each of the upper rods 16 is driven through a pair of beveled gears 24 and 26 from a horizontal shaft 28. The shaft 22 is ro-tatively supported inV bearing posts 30, and the shaft 28 is rotatively supported in beating posts 32. The posts 30 and 32 are supported in fixed positions upon a stationary plate or table 34.

The shafts 22 and 28 are driven in the same direction (clockwise as viewed `in Figure 5) from a common drive shaft 36. The shaft 36 has fast upon it a gear 38 which meshes with, and drives, gears 40 and 42, fast, respectively, upon shafts 44 and 46. The shaft 44 is connected through sprockets 48 and 50 and a chain 52 (Fig. 5) to drive the shaft 22. The shaft 46 is connected through sprockets 54 and 56 and a chain 58 (Fig. 2) to drive the shaft 28.

Intermediate the length of the feeder formedv by the rods 14 and 16 a skin stripping or peeling unit 59 is provided. The peeling unit 59 comprises a hollow perforated suction drum 60 disposed at the level of the lower rods 14 and in parallel relation to the lower rods. The drum 60 is driven from the shaft 22 through bevel gears 62 and 64. The drum is mounted in a housing 66. Suction is Iapplied `to `the interior `of the housing, :and is applied directly to the skin which is being peeled off through the perforated drum 60. Within the casing the leading end of the skin is separated from the drum 60 and drawn away for nal disposition. The peeling unit is illustrated and described in greater detail in Patent No. 2,672,646.

A transparent cover or guard 68 is pivotally supported on the shaft 28 through eared brackets 70, and may normally rest, when no frankfurters` are present, upon a stationary post (not shown). The guard 68 carries bearing lugs 68a, one for each upper feed rod 16 so that the upper rods swing up and down with the guard 68, while remaining in gear, and normally rest by gravity upon the sausages, whether the sausages be of large or small diameter. The mechanism thus far described in detail is desiredly the same as that of the prior machine disclosed in Patent No. 2,672,646.

The primary novelty of the present invention has to do with rotary guide rods which lie on opposite sides of the frankfurter path, driving means for said rods, and mounting means for the rods and the rod driving mechanism. In Figures l to 9, hexagonal rods 74 and 76 are employed.

The rod 74 is driven by a belt 78 in the opposite direction to that in which the frankfurter turns. The belt 78 is driven by a pulley 80 which is fast upon a shaft 82. The shaft 82 is driven from the shaft 22 through gears 84 and 86, fast on the respective shafts. The shaft 82 is rotatively supported in a bearing block 88, which block forms part of a rigid frame 90 by which the rod 74 is carried. A bar l92, secured in Ia rabbet 94 of the lblock 88 by screws 96 (Fig. l), has affixed to its opposite ends bearing blocks 98 an-d 100 in which the rod 74 is rotatively mounted.

At `the right hand end of the bar 92, as viewed in Figure l, a block 102 is secured to the .bar by headed screws 104 and i106. The screw 104 is passed through the block 102 and is threaded into the bar 92. 'The screw 106 is passed through 'the block 102 and the bar 92 and is threaded into `the bearing block 100. The block 102 is formed with la hole 108 (Fig. 3) which is ladapted to receive and t a jig pin 110 on the top of a s-tationary post 112. The post 11-2 is xed upon the plate 34 and constitutes a support upon which the block 102 normally rests. The bearing block 88 is formed with a bore 114 through which a threaded pin 116 on the upper end of a stationary post 118 passes. A wing nut 120, screwed on the pin 116, normally clamps the bearing block securely in place against the upper end of the post 118.

When the wing nut 120 is unscrewed from the pin 116, the rod 74 together with the supporting framelwork back through the block 88, and the driving mechanism of the rod 74 back through the pulley 80 and a gear 84, can all be removed as a unit from the machine, as shown in Figure 3. This unit `can be readily replaced by impaling the block 102 upon the jig pin 110 and `the block 88 upon the threaded pin 116. 'Ihe reapplication is then completed by threading the wing nut onto the pin =1 16 until the block 88 is clamped firmly in place.

The rod 76 is driven, in the opposite direction to that in which the frankfurter turns, by a belt 122. The belt 122 is driven by a pulley 124 which is fast upon a shaft 126 (Figs. 6 and 9). The shaft 126 is rotatably supported in bearing blocks 128, which are rigidly aixed to a supporting bar 130 by screws 132. Bearing blocks 134 (Fig. 1), affixed to the opposite ends of the bar 130,

rotatively support the, rod 76. The shaft 126 has freely mounted upon it a swingable link or block 136 upon which drive gearing for the shaft 126 is carried. The block 136 carries a shaft 138 in parallelism with the shaft 126. The shaft 138 has fast upon it a sprocket 140 which is adapted to be driven by the downwardly travelling stretch of the chain 58 (Figs. 2 and 5). A notched stationary bracket 142 removably receives and partially' embraces the lower end of the block 136 to fix the block in a desired position with the sprocket 140 engaged with the chain 58. The shaft 138 also has fast upon it a gear 141 which, through an intermediate gear 144 on the block 136, drives a gear 146 which is fast upon the shaft 126. The gear 144 includes a unitary bearing portion which is mounted in the block 136. The body of the gear is confined between the block 136 and the hub of the pulley 124.

The bar 130 has a block 148 made fast upon it by screws 150. The block 148 is formed with a jig opening 152 (Fig. 3), which is adapted to receive a jig pin 154, on the upper end of a post 156. The bar 130, itself, is formed with a jig opening 158 which receives a jig pin 160 on the upper end of a post 162. A crank handled set screw 164, threaded horizontally through the block 148 into engagement with the jig pin 154, normally locks the block 148 down in place against the upper end of the post 162. When the screw 164 is backed off slightly, the jig pin is released. The bar 130 can then be lifted out of the machine (Fig. 3) and will carry with it as a unit all the driving mechanism` for the rod 76 back through the sprocket 140, and the supporting structure for said rod and said driving mechanism including the bar 130 itself the bearings 128 and the link or block 136.

Under operating conditions the posts 156 and 162 are supported in xed positions from the plate 34. The con struction and arrangement `are such, however, that the posts can be adjusted transversely of the frankfurter path to increase or diminish the width of the path as desired, and this without disturbing the operating connections of the guide rods 74 and 76. The posts 156 and 162 are supported respectively upon slide bars 166 and 168 (Figs. l and 5). The slide bars and their mountings are alike in construction. Each slide bar is formed with an inner .slot 170 and an outer slot 172. A headed screw 174 has its shank passed downward through the slot 170 and threaded into the table 134 to serve as a guide for the bar. A threaded pin 176 extends upward from the table 34 through the slot 172 and has a wing nut 178 screwed onto its upper end. It will be evident that when the wing nuts are screwed down the slide bars 166 and 168 are clamped in xed positions, but that when the wing nuts are backed off slightly the slide bars are freed for sliding movement and may be manipulated to effect a desired adjustment of the rod 76 and the entire unit of which the rod forms a part.

It is an important point that the adjustment does not disturb the driving connection from the chain 58 to the rod 76. The bracket 142 keeps the sprocket 140 in mesh with the chain 58, while the swinging link 136 and the parts supported by it maintain the operativeness of the connection from the sprocket 140 to the rod 76.

As the peeled frankfurter leaves the feed rods 14 and 16 and the guide rods 74 and 76, it is delivered onto a conveyor belt 180. The belt 180 runs upon end rollers 182 and 184 (Fig. l), the former of which is driven. The end rollers are mounted in stationary side guides 186. The shaft 28 has fast upon it a spiral gear 188 (see Fig. 7 also) which, through an intermediate spiral gear 19,0, drives a spiral gear 192. The gear 192 is fast upon a shaft 194, upon which the roller 182 is also made fast.

In operation, the frankfurter is generally squeezed between the lower feed rods 14 and the upper feed rods 16. Since the frankfurter is pulled downward by gravity, however, the pressure against the lower rods 14 is greater and the traction of the lower rods is greater. The tendency, therefore, is for the frankfurter to bear against the left hand` rod 76 (as the parts are viewedv in Fig. 5), although it will work back and forth between the rods 74 and 76 to a considerable extent.l

The, fnankfurter turns clockwise, while all the rods 14, 16, 74 and 76 turn counterclockwise, consistently with the clockwise rotation of the frankfurter. As the frankfurter approaches the point at which the peeling unit 59 takes effect, it is desirable that thetab at the leading end of the frankfurter extend away from the body of the frankfurter, so that the suction drum will engage and act properly upon its outer face. lf the tab should be folded back against the frankfurter it would be likely to escape the suction effect of the suction drum so that no peeling would occur.

The `fact that the rod 74 turns in a direction tending to advance the tab precludes all likelihood of the tab being obstructed and folded back by the rod 74. Similarly the fact that the rod 76 turns in a direction tending to advance the tab precludes all likelihood of the tab being obstructed and folded back under the rod ,76. The polygonal shape of the rods 74 and 76 precludes binding since the pressure applied by these rods is a fluctuating pressure. Each corner may tend to grip the skin and force it forward while each iiat face provides clearance to prevent the skin in back of the corner from becoming piled up and tightly bound.V

Figure shows a modified form of feed rods 14a and 16a and guide rods 74a and 76a, all of these rods being made square but having their corners rounded. These rods have been found to feed and guide the frankfurter better than the round rods heretofore employed.

`We have described what we believe to be the best embodiments of our invention. We do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodiments shown, but what we desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

l. In a machine for peeling sausages, in combination, a lower series of parallel, rotary feed rods disposed to extend forward and toward one side of the machine said lower feed rods being disposed in a common horizontal plane to provide a support, and so closely spaced that they provide a continuously effective lower confining barrier for thesausages, a similar upper series of parallel, rotary feed rods disposed to extend forward and toward the opposite side of the machine means operatively related to the feed rods for driving the feed rods in a direction to effect forward feeding and rotation of the sausages, a pair of rotary, parallel, longitudinally extending guide rods disposed between the upper and lower feed rods and 'dening opposed continuous lateral sausage path boundaries, and driving means operatively related to at least one of said guide rods for rotating the same.

2. in a machine for peeling sausages, in combination, a lower series of parallel, rotary, feed rods disposed to extend forward and toward one side of the machine said lower feed rods being disposed in a common horizontal plane to provide a support, and so closely spaced that they provide a continuously effective lower confining barrier for the sausages, a similar upper series of para1le1,rotary feed rods disposed to extend forward and toward the opposite side of the machine, means operatively related to the feed lrods for driving the feed rods in a direction to effect forward feeding and rotation of the sausages, a pair of rotary, parallel, longitudinally extending guide rods disposed between the upper and lower feed rods and defining opposed lateral sausage path boundaries, and driving means operatively related to the guide rods for positively rotating both the guide rods in unison with one another and in the same direction as the feed rods.

3. In a machine for peeling sausages, in combination, a lower series of parallel, rotary feed rods disposed to extend forward and toward one side of the machine, an upper series of parallel, rotary feed rods disposed to extend forward and toward the opposite side of the machine, means operatively related to the feed rods for driving the feed rods in a direction to effect forward feeding and rotation of the sausages a pair of rotary, parallel, longi tudinally extending, guide rods disposed between the upper and lower feed rods and defining opposed lateral sausage path boundaries, Iand driving means operatively related to the guide rods for rotating the guide rods in unison with one another and in the same direction as the feed rods, the guide rods being polygonal in cross-section so` that the pressure applied by them will be fluctuating pressure.

4. In a machine for peeling sausages, in combination, a lower series-of parallel, rotary, feed rods disposed to extend forward and toward one side of the machine said lower feed rods being disposed in a common horizontal plane to provide a support, and so closely space-d that they provide a continuously effective lower confining barrier for the sausages, a similar upper series of parallel, rotary, feed rods disposed to extend forward and toward the opposite side of the machine, means operatively related to the feed rods for driving the feed rods in a direction to effect forward feeding and rotation of the sausages a pair of rotary, parallel, longitudinally extending, guide rods disposed between the upper and lower feed rods and defining opposed, .continuous lateral sausage path boundaries, driving mechanism, and a supporting and driving unit for one of said guide rods comprising a drive train driven by said driving mechanism but bodily separable therefrom, a frame supporting the last mentioned guide rod for rotation and also supporting said drive train in operatively connected relation to said last mentioned guide rod, and means for removably securing the frame in predetermined position.

5. In a machine for peeling sausages, in combination,

"a lower series of parallel, rotary, feed rods disposed to extend forward and toward one side of the machine said lower feed rods being disposed in a common horizontal plane to provide a support, and so closely spaced that they provide a continuously eective lower confining barrier for the sausages, a similar upper series of parallel,

, rotary, feed rods disposed to extend forward and toward the opposite side of the machine, means operatively related to the feed rods for driving the feed rods in a direction to effect forward feeding and rotation of the sausages a pair of rotary, parallel, longitudinally extending guide rods disposed between the upper and lower feed rods 'and defining opposed lateral sausage path boundaries, driving mechanism, and a supporting and driving unit for one of said guide rods comprising a ldrive train driven by said driving mechanism but bodily separable therefrom, a frame supporting the last mentioned guide rod for rotation and also supporting said drive train in operatively connected relation to said last mentioned guide rod, a pair of stationary posts, and means for removably securing the frame upon said posts. p

6. In a machine for peeling sausages, in combination, a lower series of parallel, rotary, feed rods disposed to extend forward and toward one side of the machine said lower feed rods being disposed in a common horizontal plane to provide a support, and so closely spaced that they provide a continuously effective lower confining barrier for the sausages, means operatively related to the feed rods for driving the feed rods in a direction to elfect forward feeding and rotation of the sausagesa similar upper series of parallel, rotary, feed rods disposed to extend forward and toward the opposite side of the machine, a pair of rotary, parallel, longitudinally extending, guide rods disposed between the upper and lower feed rods and defining opposed lateral sausage path boundaries, driving mechanism, and a supporting and driving unit for one of said guide rods comprising a drive train driven by said driving mechanism but bodily separable therefrom, a frame supporting the last mentioned guide rod for rotation and also supporting said drive train in operatively connected relation to said last mentioned guide rod, stationary posts, means supporting the posts with capacity for adjustment crosswise of the machine, and means for removably securing the frame upon said posts.

7. In a machine for peeling sausages, in combination, a lower series of parallel, rotary, feed rods disposed to extend forward and toward one side of the machine said lower feed rods being disposed in a common horizontal plane to provide a support, and so closely spaced that they provide a continuously effective lower confining barrier for the sausages, a similar upper series of parallel, rotary, feed rods disposed to extend forward and toward the opposite side of the machine, means operatively related to the feed rods for driving the feed rods in a direction to effect forward feeding and rotation of the sausages a pair of rotary, parallel, longitudinally extending guide rods disposed between the upper and lower feed rods and defining opposed lateral boundaries of the sausage path, driving mechanism, and a supporting and driving unit for one of said guide rods, comprising a drive train driven by said driving mechanism, and a frame supporting the last mentioned guide rod for rotation and also supporting the drive train in operatively connected relation to said last mentioned guide rod, the drive mechanism including au output member, and the drive train including an input member driven by the output member but separable from the output member, a shaft connected to be driven from the input member, an input member Supporting link pivotally supported on the shaft, and means driving the last mentioned guide rod from the shaft, means for adjusting the unit transversely of the machine, and ya stationary bracket engageable with the link to maintain the input member operatively engaged with the output member when the unit is so adjusted.

8. In a machine for peeling sausages, in combination, a lower series of parallel, rotary polygonal feed rods disposed to extend forward and toward one side of the machine, an upper series of parallel, rotary polygonal feed rods disposed to extend forward and toward the opposite side of the machine, means operatively related to the feed rods for driving the feed rods in a direction to effect forward feeding and rotation of the sausages a pair of rotary, parallel, longitudinally extending polygonal guide rods disposed between the upper and lower feed rods and defining opposed lateral sausage path boundaries, and driving means for rotating at least one of said guide rods.

9. In a machine for peeling sausages, in combination, a lower series of parallel, rotary square feed rods disposed to extend forward and toward one side of the machine, an upper series of parallel, rotary square feed rods disposed to extend forward and toward the opposite side of the machine, means operatively related to the feed rods for driving the feed rods in a direction to effect forward feeding and rotation of the sausages a pair of rotary, parallel, longitudinally extending square guide rods disposed between the upper and lower feed rods and defining opposed lateral sausage path boundaries, and means operatively related to at least one of said guide rods for rotating the same.

10. In a machine for peeling sausages, in combination, a lower series of parallel, rotary feed rods disposed to extend forward and toward one side of the machine said lower feedrods being disposed in a common horizontal plane to provide `a support, and so closely spaced that they provide a continuously effective lower confining barrier for the sausages, an upper feed unit comprising a similar upper series of parallel rotary feed rods disposed to extend forward and toward the opposite side of the machine, means pivotally supporting the upper feed unit so that it may rest by gravity on the sausages and automatically accommodate itself to the diameters of the sausages, means operatively related to the feed rods for driving the feed rods in a direction to effect forward feeding and rotation of the sausage, a pair of rotary, parallel, longitudinally extending guide rods disposed between the upper and lower feed rods and defining opposed continuous lateral sausage feed path boundaries, driving means operatively related to the guide rods for positively rotating the guide rods in unison with one another and in the same direction as the feed rods, and means operatively related to the guide rods for adjusting one of them toward land from the other to change the width of the sausage feed path between them so that the guide rods may be adapted for operation upon frankfurters of different selected diameters.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 413,625 Moore Oct. 22, 1889 1,355,616 Mohn Oct. 12, 1920 2,514,660 McClure et al. July 11, 1950 2,626,717 Kraner Jan. 27, 1953 

